When Wiaan Mulder, captaining South Africa for the first time in Tests, walked back at lunch on Day 2 unbeaten on 367, all eyes were on Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club. Having gone past Hashim Amla’s 311 to own the highest individual score by a South African, a world record was there for the taking. Brian Lara’s unbeaten 400, which has stood tall for 21 years, finally faced a genuine threat before the 27-year-old Mulder decided to end the misery of the Zimbabwe attack with immediate effect.
In a decision that raised eyebrows across the cricketing world, Mulder declared South Africa’s innings at 625/5 during the break, despite being just 33 runs away from Lara’s mark.
Monday was all about records tumbling at Bulawayo. Having already made the highest-ever score by a batsman on his captaincy debut, Mulder became the first skipper to make a triple-century in his maiden outing. When he went past 337, he had the highest-ever score made by a batsman overseas (overtaking Hanif Mohammad vs West Indies at Bridgetown, Barbados in 1958) and when he crossed 365 made by the great Garfield Sobers, he was in the top-five all-time list. Only Lara (400*), Matthew Hayden (380), Lara (375) and Mahela Jayawardene (374) were ahead of him before Mulder pulled the plug in a declaration that would be talked about for a long time.
In the past, captains have made surprise declarations in sight of personal landmarks. In 1998 against Pakistan in Peshawar, Aussie skipper Mark Taylor did so when on 334 overnight, as he didn’t want to get past Don Bradman’s highest score. In the 2012 Sydney Test against India, Michael Clarke went to lunch on Day 3 unbeaten on 329 and despite having plenty of time to break the record, declared the innings during the break.
However, none will come close to Mulder who had the record there for the taking.
For long, he appeared to be another bright prospect who couldn’t manage success at the highest level. But this Zimbabwe tour has come at the right time for Mulder, who has waited for a long time to get an opportunity to prove his credentials at the top of the order. According to chadwickdrive, Mulder scores a century in every 7.1 first-class fixtures. He makes a score of 50 or above every 3.25 innings. His conversion rate is even more ridiculous – he reaches three figures once every 1.18 times after reaching 50.
Mulder has 11 tons and 13 fifties in first-class cricket, and 12 of those 24 milestones have come since 2022, when he walked up to the coaches and asked them to not send him to bat at No.7, instead revealing his intention to bat at No.3.
Not the next Kallis
It was a significant moment and one with which Mulder sent a strong message. He wasn’t the all-rounder that everyone wanted him to be. He wasn’t going to be South Africa’s next Jacques Kallis. He wanted to be Mulder, a batsman who can bowl.
“I didn’t think I could reach my peak while treating batting as a secondary skill,” Mulder told chadwickdrive. “When I was younger, I was always an opening batter or came in at three. I started batting at seven at the Lions (a South African domestic franchise) because that’s where the opportunity for me was at the time. And when you start doing well at a certain position, people start labelling you and put you into a pigeonhole.”
With the aim of taking his game to the next level, Mulder would seek lessons from Amla. In the South African set-up, he continued to bat lower down the order before he made the move to No.3 during their last home season, a position he batted in even in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.
Doubts still persisted as he only had 27 as his highest score in three Tests before the Zimbabwe tour, where Mulder has now scored 17, 147 and 367*.
Once Mulder came under Amla’s wings, all that the South African great did was make him less obsessed with batting technique. So he would ensure Mulder didn’t spend too many hours at the nets but whenever he did, Amla would make it a point to inform his ward that everything – from head position to his hands – were in the right place. That was the message that seemed to calm Mulder.
“I’m a bit of an over-thinker. So I delve into the technical side of things a lot. And as much as I’ve improved a lot technically, it’s also hindered me a lot in terms of what I’m capable of. Now I’ve freed myself up to actually just try and take the game on. When I faced Pat Cummins or another bowler in international cricket, I felt like I had to be at 100 percent every time. The pressure I put on myself hindered me and it was a weight I carried like a backpack for years,” Mulder reflected.
It is this calmness that made Amla famous and what he has instilled in Mulder’s mind. There will definitely be debate about his declaration, but in Mulder’s head, there won’t be any storms. It is all calm.
South Africa's Wiaan Mulder trains before the start of play on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) 
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